Another Favorite Atoll

Rainy days are rare here. Hence, they are special. They are a time for walks between the raindrops on the motus, escaping the chill of a dinghy ride by jumping into the warm water, and snuggling up to write about the weeks behind us.

Looking out Gerty’s window from the nav station desk, I see a massive wall of blue-grey clouds to the north and squalls streaking the sky from east to west, yet being here brings me a sense of tranquility. We are heading to Fakarava this afternoon to pick up Zachary, and our plan is to bring him back. Back to the coral garden where we snorkeled every day for five days straight because we couldn’t get enough of those fish, and to the beaches teaming with life so elusive you must look for it. We’ll bring him back to Toau, our new favorite atoll.

The question is, why do I remember it as a happy place when we had to deal with the stress of the Tahitian airport firefighters strike, the sadness of missing Thanksgiving, and the indecision about our future plans? The day we bought Zachary a third plane ticket out of desperation (to Rangiroa, after having already switched his arrival from Gambier to Farkarava) seems like a bad dream. Mercifully, the strike lifted in time for Michael’s birthday two days ago, and now the mayhem is in the past.

The birthday celebration was a fun way for me to measure up to Michael’s newfound bread-baking expertise. He started with dense bread-muffin-muffin-things about a week ago and using techniques I would never employ (infrared thermometer, YouTube videos, and patience), he has progressed to a delicious sourdough loaf.

So, I made homemade ice cream for the big day. It was good, but the company was great, which made all the difference!

Michael has told me about his epic kite journey through the southern reef inlet umpteen times and the story never gets old. The wind angle was such that he worked his way upwind above the motus just enough to round the bend and aim his board downriver for the ride of his life.

Whether it’s starry nights, watching Michael show his devotion by splitting open a coconut for me, or snorkeling with remoras clinging to Michael’s legs as if he was their mother ship, the best memories stick without a picture, and the hard times fall away if you let them. So, let them.

Last Remarks

• After a week on our own in the exquisite coral garden anchorage, we so enjoyed the little crowd in the south of Toau. Many thanks for sharing your time with us: Ralf and Wbeike SV Flora, Scott and Maggie SV Adiona, Barbara and Ralph SV Lille Venn, Jeroen and Rajesh SV My Motu, Bob and Laurie SV Hedonism, Deb and Kevin SV Arvonna